Yosemite Wilderness Permit — Pohono Trail (Taft Point)

Pohono Trail (Taft Point): what makes it different

Pohono Trail (Taft Point) starts at the Taft Point trailhead on Glacier Point Road and heads west along the south rim toward Bridalveil Creek and Dewey Point. The permit forbids camping at Taft Point itself and anywhere east of the Bridalveil Creek footbridge, so the first night is west of the creek.^5,1

Getting to the start

Recreation.gov places the start at the Taft Point trailhead along Glacier Point Road. The Park Service issues it through the Wawona Visitor Center and lists a vault toilet. For 2026 the Wawona window runs May 16 to October 14.^5,1

Glacier Point Road is closed in winter and typically opens in mid May, and Recreation.gov says a permit is not valid and not refunded if the road is closed. The Park Service stops overnight parking on Glacier Point Road from October 15.^5,1

The Park Service table also carries a separate winter Taft Point entry, with no reservable quota, 10 first come permits, and a flush toilet when the ski area is open. It is for winter travel only.¹

The first leg

Hiking Project lays the Pohono Trail out west from Glacier Point: a short climb to the Sentinel Dome junction, the Taft Point connector about 2.7 miles in, then Taft Point, Dewey Point, the McGurk Meadow junction, Crocker and Stanford Points, Inspiration Point and Tunnel View. Whole trail 12.9 miles, usually hiked downhill from Glacier Point.⁹

Because this permit starts at Taft Point, you walk the middle stretch of that line. Two reviews on YosemiteHikes call the Dewey to Taft stretch an easy, pastoral walk between the big viewpoints, forested and relaxing.⁶

A WildlandTrekking guide rates the full Tunnel View to Glacier Point route strenuous, recommends May to October, and notes that Tunnel View is open year-round while Glacier Point Road is not.¹⁰

Terrain and difficulty

Rolling forest and meadow along the south rim with big viewpoints. Hiking Project describes fewer crowds than the valley floor and views of the Clark Range and the valley. Its grade figures for the whole trail are an average of 10 percent and a maximum of 36 percent.⁹

Water is the planning problem. The Outbound's Dewey Point listing says only a couple of intermittent creeks are available to filter and tells hikers to carry their own, and Hiking Project lists no reliable source. One June 2012 reviewer ran out of water by Glacier Point, while another in July 2012 said the creeks were well spaced and drank five to six quarts.^8,9,6

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at Pohono Trail (Taft Point), overnight wilderness: 10 people a day. 6 go through the lottery 24 weeks ahead and 4 are released first come, first served one week ahead, as the Park Service table prints them. Recreation.gov availability for this permit would not load.¹

Rules specific to this entry point

You must be four trail miles from Glacier Point before camping, and camping is not allowed east of the Bridalveil Creek footbridge, including Taft Point. Recreation.gov repeats both on the division.⁵

The Park Service wilderness rules also keep camps at least four trail miles from Glacier Point and one mile from any road. A bear canister is required, and fires go only in existing rings below 9,600 feet.²

Half Dome is not available with this trailhead, according to Recreation.gov. The Outbound's Dewey Point listing adds that tents must sit well back from any cliff edge, which it writes as a distance in inches, so ask the desk for the real figure.^5,8

Where it leads

Taft Point is the day-trip view you pass but cannot camp at. Beyond the footbridge, Bridalveil Creek has camps by the water, and Dewey Point and the spot above Stanford Point are the rim camps in reviews.^5,6,8

Recreation.gov lists Dewey Point, Inspiration Point and Lower Bridalveil Creek among the camp areas tied to this division.⁵

What trip reports say

On YosemiteHikes, Greg Petliski wrote in December 2012 that he rode the Glacier Point bus, camped a few hundred yards from Dewey Point and had a five minute meeting with a bear and cub at sunset. His food stayed in its canister and nothing went wrong. He met only a handful of people on the trail.⁶

A July 2024 review by Aileen on the same page backpacked from Tunnel View and camped at Dewey Point, which she found beautiful. A heat wave forced the group down early, and she advises mosquito nets. A June 2024 reviewer, Shannon Luna, had a campsite above Stanford Point to herself.⁶

A June 2012 post on Califraven describes the McGurk Meadow approach to Dewey Point: 8 miles, a muddy path to the meadow, downed trees, brisk wind on the point and a storm that later closed Glacier Point Road. It does not mention Taft Point or camping.⁷

The Outbound's Dewey Point listing has reviews from 2016 and 2017. One hiker spent the first night at Dewey Point after starting at Tunnel View and found it stunning, and another hiked Taft Point to Dewey Point in mid July in ideal weather.⁸

When to go from here

WildlandTrekking recommends May through October. The July 2024 heat wave and the water reports show that midsummer can be the hard part, while the 2012 storm shows that Glacier Point Road can close for weather. Mosquitoes were an issue at Dewey Point in July 2024.^10,6,7

The Park Service pages disagree on when reservations start. The wilderness permits page, updated December 31, 2025, says late April through October. The reservations page, updated June 22, 2026, says May through October. The Wawona window of May 16 sits inside both.^3,4,1

Compare with nearby entry points

• Pohono Trail (Glacier Point): The Glacier Point start has a quota of 9 plus 6, a vault toilet and summer drinking water. It starts further east, so the walk to the camping zone is longer.^1,9
• McGurk Meadow: McGurk Meadow meets the Pohono Trail on the way to Dewey Point, with a quota of 9 plus 6 and no toilet.^1,7
• Bridalveil Creek: Bridalveil Creek starts at the campground, with a quota of 15 plus 10 and a flush toilet when the campground is open.¹

Sources

1. Trailhead Information, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
2. Wilderness Regulations, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
3. Wilderness Permits, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
4. Wilderness Permit Reservations, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
5. Yosemite National Park Wilderness Permits, Pohono Trail (Taft Point) division, Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
6. Pohono Trail reviews, YosemiteHikes.com. Read 2026-10-15.
7. Dewey Point from McGurk Meadow, June 4, 2012, Califraven. Read 2026-10-15.
8. Dewey Point via McGurk Meadow Trailhead, The Outbound Collective. Read 2026-10-15.
9. Pohono Trail, Hiking Project. Read 2026-10-15.
10. Pohono Trail guide, WildlandTrekking. Read 2026-10-15.

Safety & planning

Alternatives to a Pohono Trail (Taft Point) permit